Forty-Seven

"YOU TELL ME, MAN. YOU'RE THE MECHANIC."

Stiles huffed, more than aggravated as he walked through the hospital. His hand kept his phone pressed against his ear, while he kept an eye out for his dad. The mechanic had called him with news regarding the jeep, but it isn't what Stiles wanted to hear. Whoever the man was, he was quickly growing on Stiles's last nerve.

"If the gas tank didn't rupture and nothing electrical was burned, how the hell did the fire start?" Stiles demanded. "Spontaneously combusted?" he echoed the response given, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Really, that's your answer?"

Stiles looked up just as Noah appeared fully in uniform. He snatched his son's phone and ended the call, questioning, "What're you doing here?"

"Dad, you gotta leave the body," Stiles immediately forgot about the jeep and grew serious. "Okay? Leave it and let whoever wants to take it, just take it. Trust me."

"I'm doing my job, Stiles," Noah replied, handing the cell back over and turning on his heel to go down a hallway.

The stubbornness in Stiles's genes made him follow his father without hesitation. "Yeah, you've been real busy," he remarked. "Arresting people you know are innocent."

Noah sighed, but didn't stop heading to the elevator. He had already gotten an earful from Jemma and Melissa. He didn't need it from his kid too. "Go home," he ordered. "Now."

Yet as the elevator doors opened and Noah stepped inside, Stiles remained by his side. His eyebrows raised expectantly, daring his dad to try and force him out.

Noah narrowed his eyes. "This isn't up for debate."

"Well, then I'm not leaving."

Noah caught sight of a nurse's badge as the doors closed, reminding him of a conversation from the earlier morning. He glanced at Stiles before casually saying, "You know, Clark mentioned something about, uh, key cards for the library."

Stiles shot him a confused look but didn't interrupt.

"Do you guys have after-hours access?" Noah asked.

A look of understanding washed over Stiles's face. "Yeah," he breathed out with a nod. "We do. I'd show you mine but I lost it a few weeks ago."

Noah studied him, but Stiles stared forward and remained outwardly calm. Inwardly, he couldn't help but curse at how easy it was to lie to his dad; from the year before Noah discovered the supernatural, Stiles had gotten a ton of practice. Now it was supposed to be different--there wasn't supposed to be any secrets between them. But there wasn't anything else Stiles could do.

Even more than Scott, Noah could not find out about Donovan.

When the doors opened again, it seemed Noah bought the lie. Since he knew Stiles wouldn't leave, he told his son to at least stay on the upper floors. Deputies covered every doorway that led to the morgue and if something went wrong, Noah didn't want Stiles in the crossfire.

Stiles forced a smile of assurance and then headed back upstairs. Only then did he freak out.

He felt his library card burning a hole in his pocket with every step he took. Guilt ate at his insides and he felt like he was minutes away from throwing up. He tried to sit, to calm his nerves, yet it didn't work.

His palms rubbed against his jeans. He couldn't take it anymore.

Pulling out the key card, Stiles clutched it in his hand. Disgust flitted through him when he noticed his younger self beaming back in his direction.

Stiles closed his eyes, blinking back tears as his grip tightened. The card bent from the sheer force before slipping through his fingers. It fell into the trash bin beside him and he swallowed hard.

It should've been a weight lifted, a reason to prove the lie he told his dad. But now he only felt worse.

Stiles caught sight of a bathroom sign and he found his feet walking towards it. He burst through the door, instantly locking it behind him. Letting out a sigh, Stiles slid down to the ground and pulled his knees to his chest.

He could feel his heart pounding and his breath hitched.

Not here, he thought. Not now.

Stiles hurriedly pulled out his phone and kept pressing on the screen. His fingers trembled as he waited impatiently, deeply inhaling so his chest wouldn't tighten.

"Hey, you," Sierra's face appeared in front of him, making his tense shoulders relax. She wore a seat belt and from the way she kept looking upwards, Stiles knew she was driving. "Give me one sec, bub, I'm about to pull into Scott's driveway."

"Why, um," Stiles struggled to speak. "Why did you leave, uh, Scott's?"

"I needed to take Corey home," she explained, unaware that he was on the brink of another panic attack. "He helped us discover another possible location for Liam and Hayden. Theo went to check it out."

Stiles nodded and a moment passed before she said, "Okay, I'm parked. I can talk safely now." Her picture shifted as she picked up her phone from where it had been propped. "What's up?"

"Can you, um, do that thing that you do?" Stiles asked, leaning his back against the door.

Sierra looked at him, confused, but her face broke out into a smile. "What thing?"

Stiles sighed at the sight, feeling his body start to wind down. "Thank you. That's...that's all I needed."

"Okay," Sierra dragged out the word, forcing a chuckle. His odd behavior concerned her, but she let is slide. Then she squinted at him, her head tilting. "Wait, where are you?"

"Still at the hospital," he answered, running a hand through his hair. "I tried to get my dad to back off with the whole patrol guarding the body but he wouldn't listen."

Sierra pursed her lips with a nod. "Makes sense. After all, you got your stubbornness from him."

"You think he would trust me when it came to this stuff," Stiles commented. "I know he has a certain way of conducting investigations. But it's like he forgot that the supernatural world doesn't adhere to the city's laws. You know? Like the whole incident with Kira? He never should have called it in."

"He's just doing what he thinks is right," Sierra told him, her smile softening. "That's why you're there, Stiles. To help guide him in the right direction."

"How do I guide someone who won't let me help?"

"You've just got to be patient. Everything will work out eventually," she advised.

Stiles nodded, "Yeah, I know." A thought dawned on him and he added, "Are you feeling better from earlier? I know everything with Corey and Scott was kind of intense."

"Honestly, I am," Sierra replied to him. "I just keep reminding myself that we're in a do-or-die situation right now. If we were all smiling and happy all the time, then I'd be more concerned."

"You said you took Corey home? Was he alright?"

"From the time I spent with him in the car, he's scared but okay," Sierra reported, letting out a heavy breath. "He's a good kid, Stiles. They're all good kids. I just...whatever's happening to them? It's not fair."

Stiles offered her a small smile and agreed, "I know it isn't fair. But the dread doctors aren't gonna win, alright? We're going to figure out what they want, and then stop them. Just like we always do."

Sierra returned his gesture, the corners of her lips quirking up. "When did you become the hopeful one?"

"I'm only saying what you've always told me," Stiles shrugged his shoulders. "I've been repeating it to myself a lot lately, especially because of Donovan. It's time you believe your own words, string bean. Even in the situation we're in now."

"I guess I--" Sierra cut herself off, her eyes catching something in her rear view mirror. "Oh my god."

"What?" Stiles demanded, growing concerned on how her eyes quickly filled up with tears. "Sierra? Talk to me, sweetheart."

"It's them," she stuttered out happily. "It's Liam and Hayden."

"Theo found them?"

"I guess so," Sierra couldn't help but laugh, unable to hide the relief overtaking her. She looked down at her phone. "I need to make sure they're alright. Keep me updated okay? If you need anything, just call."

"I will, I will," Stiles assured her, nodding. "Now go check on them! I'll text you the second I find out anything."

"Okay," Sierra confirmed and brought her hand into the frame so he could see her wave. "Love you, bye!"

The screen went black and Stiles sighed, letting out a chuckle from how his girlfriend's attitude shifted in a few seconds. "Love you too," he whispered.

Stiles sat there for a moment, not having the energy to leave the bathroom. That is, until he heard a lot of noise coming from the other side.

Stiles scrambled to stand, quickly throwing open the door to see nurses running towards the elevators.

Immediately, his mind went to the worst.

His dad.

Stiles sprinted off towards the stairs, almost tripping over his feet. When he burst onto the lower level, a thick fog covered the area. "Dad?" he called out worriedly, trying to find him. "Dad? Dad!"

Stiles turned a corner and relaxed from seeing his father perfectly okay next to Parrish. Noah whirled around, his eyebrows furrowed from the odd conversation with his deputy.

"The body."

The two walked quickly to the morgue, leaving Parrish in the dust. Noah held his gun up from seeing the doors slightly pushed open, and urged Stiles to get behind him.

Neither of them made a sound, creeping inside to check if the coast was clear.

Luckily, no one was in view.

However, the body had been stolen. Again.

*^*^*^*^*^*

"Liam! Hayden!"

The sophomores raised their heads as they carefully climbed out of Theo's truck. Hayden leaned against Liam for support, her eyes drooping and her hands clutching her left side. Liam looked exhausted as well, but he slightly brightened at the sight of Sierra.

She sprinted across the yard, her converse squishing in the mud. The rain dotted her clothes and she almost slipped when she reached the two, but quickly caught herself.

Without hesitating, she pulled Liam and Hayden into a hug. Both of them were trembling, whether from their kidnapping or the horrible weather Sierra didn't know.

Liam used his free hand to grasp her shoulder while Hayden buried her head in between them.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry this happened," Sierra rushed out, a tear slipping down her cheek. She tilted her head back to see their faces. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? What can I do—"

"Sierra," Liam's tired voice interrupted her and she snapped her mouth shut. "You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault."

"I could've done more," Sierra shook her head to disagree. "The dread doctors, they—"

"Let's not talk about them please," Hayden spoke up in a whisper. "Not yet."

"Of course, let's get you two cleaned up," Sierra urged, and glanced up to see Theo watching them with a certain look in his eye. "Thank you," she told him genuinely, as Liam helped Hayden get inside the house. "Seriously."

"It's no big deal," Theo shrugged it off, but grinned. "I'm just glad they're okay, same as you."

Sierra didn't respond, and just gave him a small smile. Then, she headed back to Scott's house with him following her.

Liam didn't have any injuries, his healing ability covering any wound he had. But Sierra knew something happened. His solemn attitude gave it away.

While he went to change into some of Scott's old clothes, Sierra approached Hayden in the living room. Unlike Liam, she was sporting a nasty cut on her left side.

"Hey," Sierra greeted softly and held up the first aid kit she took from Scott's bathroom. "Do you mind coming to the kitchen?"

Hayden nodded, staying quiet as she followed Sierra into the room with better lighting. Sierra motioned for her to sit at the table, turning a chair sideways.

"If anything hurts, tell me and I can take away the pain," Sierra told her, kneeling down with some wipes and isopropyl alcohol. "You're probably healing but it may take some time. We just don't want it to get infected."

"I understand," Hayden said, and slowly lifted up her shirt for Sierra to see.

The empath found it difficult not to cry at seeing the black blood staining her skin, the deep wound bruised at the edges. Hayden didn't deserve to be poked and prodded like a lab rat. She didn't ask to be changed.

The dread doctors' experiments were psychotic; inhumane with no obvious goal in sight. They kept destroying innocent people's lives and Sierra swallowed hard from wondering how far they were going to go until they got what they wanted.

Sierra remained silent as she cleaned Hayden's cut, working efficiently so the girl could lay down afterwards.

"There were other people there."

Sierra glanced up from hearing her finally speak. Hayden stared aimlessly at the wall, lost in the memories from the past day.

"His name was Zach," Hayden continued, her eyes welling up with tears. "He told us there were other people there before Liam and I arrived. Said the dread doctors...said they dragged them out one by one. Then they got him too."

"Awe, Hayden," Sierra whispered, standing on her knees to wrap the girl in a side hug. Hayden started to cry, clinging to her arm.

Liam tensed at the sound, sitting on the couch in the living room with Lydia and Theo. The two seniors exchanged sad glances, but no one moved.

"I'm a failure," Hayden sobbed. Sierra pressed a kiss onto her hair and held her tightly. "They said...they kept telling me my condition was getting worse. That I'm a failure like the others."

"No, no you're not," Sierra disagreed, brushing the hair away from Hayden's face. "Look at me, okay?"

Hayden sniffled but lifted her gaze to see Sierra looking at her seriously.

"They don't know you," Sierra said first, keeping her voice soft. "Alright? You are not a failure. Not now and not ever. Hayden, you are so strong. One of the strongest people I know."

Her words became firm as determination sparked in her eye. "The dread doctors messed with the wrong pack by taking you and Liam," Sierra stated. "I don't know how, but we're going to stop them. Make them wish they never came back to Beacon Hills."

"Have you guys done this stuff before?" Hayden asked, her cheeks still flushed. But her crying had slowed and her heart rate decelerated.

"Not against the dread doctors specifically, but we've been in a lot of battles, yes," Sierra nodded, a sigh escaping her mouth. She unwound her arms from Hayden and grabbed a bandage from the table. "Can you raise your shirt back up?"

Hayden obliged, holding onto her shirt while Sierra covered her cut. "Like what?"

"Crazy alphas, giant lizard, fox spirit, Berserkers," Sierra listed off, Hayden's eyes widening. Sierra's lips quirked up as she raised to her feet. "You name it, we've most likely fought it."

"Why?"

Sierra offered Hayden a hand, and helped her stand. "If we didn't, we'd be no better than the bad guys," Sierra answered as she started to gather the first aid kit together. Hayden remained beside her, intrigued. "None of us got our abilities by choice, but we choose to use them for good. To protect the ones who cannot protect themselves."

"Power comes as a fine line," Sierra said next, walking out of the kitchen with Hayden following her. "One thought, one action can pull you into the other side without you even knowing it."

Theo watched them come into the living room, standing by the fireplace. Sierra took a seat next to Lydia, Hayden automatically finding Liam on the couch as she asked, "What does that mean?"

"Power can make a good person go bad," Sierra explained. "Or make bad people get worse. On the other hand, bad people can become good."

"We've seen it all," Lydia commented from where she was resting her cheek in her hand.

Sierra nodded, letting out a heavy breath. "Right. That's why we, uh, have a tendency to only stick to each other."

Hayden understood their point. "Because you've been hurt in the past?" The two girls nodded again and Hayden sighed. "Yeah, I know that feeling too."

The conversation continued as they waited for Scott, Mason, and Malia to return. However, Liam and Hayden had had a very long day. By the time the three walked in the door, Hayden slept soundly on Liam's shoulder. Liam was also knocked out, his head leaned back against the couch.

Theo greeted Mason and Malia, receiving hugs from everyone--even Scott.

*^*^*^*^*^*

Kira left.

It wasn't safe for her to stay.

The fox spirit guarding her soul overwhelmed her; Scott saw it himself.

Her family needed answers, ones they wouldn't find in Beacon Hills. And since the body had been stolen, the murder charges against Mr. Yukimura were dropped. So they left.

And it freaking hurt.

Scott sat on his bedroom floor, leaning against the doorway of his closet. His hair was still damp from watching Kira leave in the pouring rain, and his jacket was covered in raindrops. In his hand, he fiddled with the leash that belonged to his old dog. The one that gave him asthma.

It brought back a traumatic memory. But Scott couldn't make himself let it go. Maybe it was because he thought he deserved to feel the pain again. Maybe because guilt was tearing him apart from the inside out.

The overall fact of Hayden and Liam being found should've made Scott feel relief, but it didn't. Because he failed. He let the members of his pack--his friends-- down.

He didn't listen to Sierra and fought with her when she told him to stop and think. He basically handed his beta and an innocent girl to the dread doctors at the school. And now, Kira was gone because he had no idea on how to help her.

On top of it all, Scott didn't find Liam and Hayden. Theo did.

And that thought alone bothered Scott more than he cared to admit.

He was supposed to be an alpha. A werewolf with a sheer force of will and a strength of character. But now he felt pathetic. A horrible leader who wasted hours at a water treatment plant, running stupidly around a maze of tunnels. One who couldn't even breathe on his own.

His weaknesses were starting to break through, especially after how he treated Corey. Scott disregarded his moral standards and acted without thinking. It was a horrible move and Scott knew it.

Since then, everything felt off.

A gentle knock on the door startled him, and he glanced up to see his mom.

Melissa's brows furrowed from seeing her son on the floor. "Sweetheart, everything okay?"

Scott tapped his hand repeatedly against his leg, still clutching the leash. "Something's changed," he finally stated, his voice cracking.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm," Scott barely shook his head, too many thoughts making his head spin. "I'm not sure. Something's different. With me and my friends." He looked down at his lap, sighing. "With all of us....something's changed."

More words were on the tip of his tongue, but he was too scared to say it. That only made them real.

But he couldn't keep his emotions to himself anymore. He needed to tell someone.

His eyes flickered back up to his mom, full of tears threatening to spill over.

"And I think it's because of me....but I don't know how to fix it."

It was his fault.

Melissa's gaze softened on her heartbroken son and she knelt down to be beside him. Resting a comforting hand on his knee, she stayed quiet. Mostly because she didn't know what to say.

It wasn't like Scott had scraped his leg. A bandage wouldn't fix the damage being done.

Since finding out about his abilities, Melissa watched him dangerously put his life on the line. He made sacrifice after sacrifice, suffering great loss in only a few years. So much went on, he rarely had time to grieve.

Scott would put on a strong face and move forward.

Except now his facade was crumbling.

And he didn't know how much more he could take.

*^*^*^*^*^*

Jordan Parrish.

A hardworking deputy and a good man who now often got involved in the supernatural crises with Scott and the others.

And now, he was the one stealing the bodies.

Stiles discovered the news first at the hospital. While the other cops were being checked on by nurses and his father, Stiles decided to try and find clues.

In the morgue, he found one. A small, rectangular name pin with the word PARRISH engraved in black. And suddenly, everything made sense.

Over the summer, Jordan never discovered what creature he was supposed to be. No one ever saw his abilities, and nothing in the bestiary fit his description. Weird dreams were the only thing leading him to his true identity, and luckily, he had explained them to Lydia. Who then told Sierra.

The true empath freaked out when Stiles relayed the information, pacing in Stiles's bedroom. "It was right in front of our faces the entire time!" she gushed, as Stiles watched her from his desk.

"I know," Stiles sighed, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "But we've got to stay focused. You said Parrish told Lydia about his dreams right? Was there anything in them that could help figure this out?"

"Lydia and I were only concerned because he kept mentioning victims and the Nemeton," Sierra stopped mid-stride. "Not by name, obviously. But he said big tree stump so the pieces fit."

Stiles looked at his girlfriend in disbelief. "So he's been having dreams about lots of bodies and the Nemeton and we never did anything about it?"

"Stiles, you know the Nemeton shows up when it wants to be found," she reminded him, messing with the necklace around her neck. "And I really don't want to see anyone self-sacrifice themselves again to make that happen."

"Then we'll search the woods!" Stiles said, rising to his feet. "We can take Lydia, skip school and search the preserve until we find the damned thing."

Sierra looked at him in exasperation. The preserve wasn't like a small park. It stretched miles across the edge of Beacon Hills; finding one tree in a gigantic forest wouldn't be an easy task.

Stiles recognized the stress taking over her and moved closer to where she stood. "Come on, string bean. It's the only way we can get some answers."

"No, I know," Sierra let out a deep breath, waving her hand. "It's just...it's just a lot. Especially after today."

"Well, luckily, you're not going to be doing it alone," he said seriously and intertwined their hands together. "I'll be there the whole time."

"Praise the Lord, hallelujah," Sierra mumbled, raising to her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips.

Stiles tucked his fingers under her chin, his other hand falling to rest on her hip as he kissed her back.

It was a moment all their own. A time to relax in the midst of chaos.

They held on to each other like the world depended on it, only pulling apart to breathe.

Stiles rested his forehead against hers, his heart beating out of his rib cage while she brushed their noses together. "Everything's going to be fine," he assured in a whisper, gazing into her ocean eyes. "I promise."

"That's a pretty big word," she replied under her breath. "Carries a lot of weight, you know."

"Yeah, I know," the corners of his mouth flipped upwards, stretching into a smile. "But I mean it."

Stiles kissed her again, the action brief and gentle. He just wanted to show her how much she meant to him.

"One of us is going to have to tell Scott about Parrish," Sierra said, thinking back to their earlier conversation as they pulled away. "I vote you."

Stiles frowned. "Why me?"

"Because after today, Scott's going to act different," Sierra explained her reasoning. "You know he is after what happened with Corey. I just think if you're going to tell him about Donovan--like I've been telling you to do--now would be the best time. Before anything else bad happens."

"It's already almost one," Stiles pointed out.

Sierra rolled her eyes, "I meant tomorrow, you dummy."

"Okay, fine, tomorrow," Stiles said with a nod. "I'll tell him tomorrow. Can we go to sleep now?"

The conversation felt familiar. Sierra asking him to tell Scott. Hearing him promise to do it, before pushing it off. Sierra didn't want to admit how much it was starting to eat at her.

"Yeah, I guess," Sierra sighed, pulling her hand out of his hold. "But I think I'm going to sleep at my house if that's okay."

Stiles furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Just need some alone time, I think."

Stiles didn't find her words comforting. There was something in the way she looked at him then, a glaze quickly passing through her eyes, that he couldn't place. But he didn't like it.

"Okay," he reluctantly replied, though he felt a pang in his chest. "I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow," Sierra agreed quietly, trying to not sound upset. She grabbed her jacket that had been laying on his bed.

His eyes stayed trained on her as she headed to the door and in desperation, he called out, "I love you."

Sierra's movements paused and she glanced at him over her shoulder.

He just needed her to say it. To make him feel like everything wasn't going to fall apart when she left the room.

"I love you too."

Her voice was thick. She even offered him a smile as she said it.

So why didn't he feel any better?